If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Brad Warner Zazen Day in Bonn

Hello Treeleafers,

just a few lines regarding last Saturday. Since I live pretty close to Bonn, I picked up my priest gear including Zafu and Zabuton and made my way towards the San Bo Dojo in Bonn. Actually the event took place at a different location than the usual San Bo Dojo, since appx. 50 (!) people had registered for the one day Zazenkai and the regular dojo would have been too small.

It was nice to meet other Zen practitioners from different lineages, a lot of AZI people (since the San Bo Dojo is an AZI Dojo), some people apparently coming from a Christian Zen lineage and at least one Genpo Roshi student. Well, what do lineages matter anyhow. It was a lovely bunch of people, though having said that, different lineages do have different flavours and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. I was a bit surprised to see Brad in his robes (even using the Zagu...guess all that time at Tassajara must have rubbed off a bit). We sat between 3-4 hours of Zazen that day and were invited to some personal Dokusan with his Dudeness Mr. Warner, which was a bit unexpected but very popular. Between doing some Samu and eating lovely vegetarian food, Brad mentioned the fact that he is right in the middle of writing a book about God (he even mentioned the Cloud of Unknowing). To cut the long story short we all seemed to have had a great day (I was quite impressed that so many people managed to be pretty silent during zazen....the statistics would have suggested at least three people should have been there constantly coughing and moaning).

I did say Hello from Treeleaf, since I know a lot of you folks also dig his books (like myself). And he said hello back

Re: Brad Warner Zazen Day in Bonn

Yes, thank you Hans.

Many roads up the mountain (anyway, What Mountain?). The only question is which paths lead to a good place (which is ultimately No Place At All, Here All Along), and which merely have one chasing one's own tail, or lead into the brambles! Many paths, no place to go ... but some paths are better than others.

No medicine to suit all patients (anyway, ultimately What Patient?). What we practice here may be right for many, poison for some. Other folks may need a flavor of Buddhism to treat their particular dis-ease (notice the hyphen, anyway What Disease?). Some may practice in monasteries, some not ... some may practice Just Sitting, some with a Koan, Breathing, Chanting Buddha's Name or Insight practice ... some may practice as Christians, Muslims or Jews and some not, some believing in God and some not ...

'Tis a very spacious Mountain, a most powerful Medicine. Boundless, in fact.